Nitinol

We are one of the rare international companies to control the production and working of this alloy thanks to Mr Bernard Prandi whose experience in NiTinol goes back to 1986.

From metal fusion through to forging, lamination, wiredrawing, cutting to shape, alloy education, folding and finally buffing, all these stages are carried out at the company headquarters in Bruz.

It is this control of the overall production chain that differentiates us from other companies.

What is Nitinol?

It is a binary alloy 50%Titanium / 50%Nickel (vitually atomically equal), with a rate of impurity < 0.1%

Properties

 

NiTinol is an alloy that can be educated, which means that it can take the shape provided at a given temperature. Its shape and temperature necessary to change its form are variable and are defined at the outset of production according to the implant.

To what use is this in hand and foot surgery?

Thanks to NiTinol properties, it is, for example, possible to create implants that can be modified once anchored in the bone (ex. 1) or again, staples whose clips close to compress two oseous fragments and make osteosynthesis easier (ex.2)

 

What are the different properties used for our products?

• Warm shape memory: changes shape at 35°C and its implantation in the body suffices for it to take form (ex. Smart Toe)
• Superelasticity : is used for staples and anchors which naturally adopt their shape after implantation (ex. EasyClip, X-Fuse)

Technical characteristics of NiTinol:

• Biocompatibility : Nitinol is inert. Nickel on its own is toxic, but a think layer of titanium oxide shapes on the surface creates a barrier against the nickel. Long-term biocompatibility is proven: ISO 10993 standard and ASTM F 20 63 standard specific to Nitinol
• IRM compatibility : IRM compatibility has been proven through a study performed at the University of Rennes, France.

Rules for using MEMOMETAL implants:

 

	Storage 2h prior to surgery	Shape recovery temperature	Products
Warm memory	Freezer (‹0°C)	Shape recovery at body temperature	Smart Toe®, 4-Fusion®, Autograf®
Superelasticity	Room temperature	Room temperature	X-Fuse®, EasyClip®, Arim®